The present invention relates to a stern tube seal for an oil bath system which is used as a stern tube seal device for ships.
In the past, a stern tube seal for an oil bath system has been proposed wherein a rotatable and slidable ring secured to a rotating shaft (stern tube) directly or indirectly through other members and a fixed slidable ring secured to a hull side come into sliding contact with each other at end surfaces thereof to seal both sea water and oil within the machine. In this proposal, however, it is extremely difficult to completely eliminate leakage, and no matter how the surface properties of the sliding surfaces may be improved, leakage occurs between the sliding surfaces, improvement of which has been desired.
In view of the above-described demand, it is an object of the present invention to provide a stern tube seal which enhances the performance of seal. To achieve the aforesaid object, an annular groove is formed in a sliding end surface of a fixed slidable ring, a leaked liquid recovery line is disposed from the annular groove towards inboard, and if necessary, an annular lip member having a pressure receiving surface disposed internally of the machine is fitted in the annular groove.
While the present invention has been briefly outlined, the above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood by reading the following detailed description setting forth a preferred embodiment of the present invention in connection with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the drawings merely illustrate a preferred embodiment for explanation of the present invention and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereby.